Drugs blowtorch applied to all Games athletes

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The Australian Olympic Committee last night broadened its drugs inquiry beyond cyclists and weightlifters to include all athletes nominated for Athens.

The move came with the AOC president, John Coates, asking Customs to provide immediate information on relevant cases of drug trafficking following the infraction notice being served on cyclist Sean Eadie.

In a letter to the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, Mr Coates asked that Customs be directed to "urgently search its records" for any information on athletes from the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Olympic teams who may have committed a doping offence. "Ideally, we need the information within the next 48 hours so that we can finalise the selection of our team for Athens," he said.

In a separate letter, AOC lawyer Simon Rofe asked the Australian Sports Drug Agency to ask Customs to "search its records to determine whether it has any information that any of these athletes may have committed a doping offence".

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With only a month to the Athens opening ceremony, the AOC yesterday suspended the announcement of any more athletes for the Games until it receives the all-clear from doping authorities.

Eadie faces being banned from the Athens team as well as being stripped of his bronze medal from the Sydney Olympics if he does not successfully defend himself. His teammates in the three-man team sprint, Gary Neiwand and Darryn Hill, could also lose their medals.

Mr Coates told the Herald the inquiry into past, present and potential Olympians was necessary to repair damage done to Australia's international reputation following the Anderson inquiry into five cyclists named by banned rider Mark French as having injected vitamins and supplements in his room.